Leyna: Lanterns and Lipstick
by Julia Major
Summary: Leo and Reyna have become friends after the end of the war, but they have to keep their meetings secret. What will happen during their latest secret rendezvous? Leyna fluff, one-shot. I don't think it contains any spoilers for anything, but it would probably be best if you have read all the published books in the HoO series thus far. Rated T just to be safe.


**Hey Leyna shippers! This is my first fanfic, so I do hope it's alright!**

****Just so y'all are aware, this story takes place after Reyna and Leo have established a friendship- I personally don't think it would be out-of-character for Reyna to warm up to him considerably when they are out of the public eye. She has, after all, finally found somebody unlike anyone she has ever met before. She may be cold on the outside, but it is generally accepted that she is putting up those walls to mask her true feelings- after he gains her trust, it would make sense for her to be fiercely loyal to him. She's not heartless, she's just damaged! I'm sorry if she seems too OOC, but I tried! If anyone could make Reyna loving and warm, it would be Leo! -end rant-**

**P.S- I don't hate Octavian! I actually feel really bad for him, and I think I'm starting to ship him with Rachel xD**

**also sorry about my abuse of line-breaks xD**

****Characters property of Rick Riodrian****

**Deviantart version- art/Leyna-One-Shot-Lanterns-and-Lipstick-392886084 ?ga_submit_new=10%253A1376382139&ga_type=edit&ga_changes=1&ga_recent=1**

**UPDATE :D**

**Hey guys :) Some people have expressed their interest in me possibly adding a sequel to this story, or some drabbles that work in-tandem with it. I have two other short stories (is one-shot the right word if I plan on writing about the characters again, just in an unrelated situation?) on my DevaintArt page that could easily become part of a drabble series. Review or PM me with your ideas or prompts, if you'd like to suggest something and I'll see what I can do! Thank you all so much for your support! Spread the PJO love guys :)**

* * *

"C'Mon Rey, it'll be fun! Not to mention, you're been working waaaaaay too hard- you need to _relax_!"

"I said no."

"Awe, Rey-Rey…"

The morning was bright and sunny, beating down harshly on the Roman camp. Although it was early, the clatter of swordplay and whizz of arrows could be heard, as well as the bustling of Demigods, already tackling the day with admirable vigor. The only Greek who appeared to be awake was Leo- the rest of his friends were enjoying a rare morning off in the comfort of their visitor's dorms. Not being much of a sleeper-inner, Leo had decided to get a jump start on his new life's mission- make Reyna smile/laugh/happy as much as humanly possible. Not long after the war had been won, Leo had found a kindred spirit in the Roman Praetor, and the two had since formed a seemingly unlikely friendship, unbeknownst to everyone else (although Piper and Jason had their suspicions).

"I don't know why she doesn't just kill him already" muttered one son of Mars to another, watching their Praetor with her flawless poker-face and the grinning son of Hephaestus.

"She could easily take him. He doesn't even carry a weapon" agreed the other in a hushed tone.

Both campers stopped short when Reyna's icy glare whipped around and bore into them accusingly. They looked instantly guilty- had she heard them? To their relief, however, Reyna had a different accusation in mind. "If you're finished exchanging pleasantries, I would suggest you get back to training. Unless you would like to transfer to the Venus cabin? Surely they would _love_ to hear your gossip.". The two campers were so offended, that in their swiftness to escape to the training dome, they missed Reyna's face as she glanced over at Leo. Her usual hard expression softened a touch, and she seemed to deflate slightly before the moment passed, and her icy exterior was restored. Reyna may have heard them, but Leo, who was happily playing with Argentium and Aurum, obviously did not.

"_Not that it would have bothered him, really_" Reyna thought. She had never understood how Leo could be so light-hearted and goofy all the time- their pasts were very similar, and the twists and turns of her destiny had warped _her_ into an Ice Queen. "_He's far stronger that anyone gives him credit for_" she mused, the thought flashing in her mind that he was, perhaps, even stronger than her (at least on the inside). She waved the thought away not because she didn't think it was possible, but to keep the fear from creeping up through her at the idea of being weak and defenseless.

"Hey, Reyna! Earth to Reyna, over!" Leo said suddenly, waving a grease-smudged hand in front of her face with a grin. For a brief moment surprise flashed in her eyes, but she was composed again when she grabbed Leo's still-waving wrist and held it tightly. "What, Valdez?" she asked coolly. Leo made no attempt to mask his surprise -_wait, is he blushing?_- and laughed freely at Reyna's death glare. Much to her annoyance, Leo seemed immune to her death glares… although a part of her was a little relieved too. She frowned slightly, mentally dismissing the thought.

"You were staring off into space with this dreamy expression. Who ya thinking about?" Leo asked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. Reyna smacked his arm, hard, and he yelped.

"Ouch! Ok, Ok! I forgot that Reyna the Destroyer has no time for love when there is war to be made instead! Not that I'm insulting your ability to make lo-wait, n-no I meant-"

Reyna's face palm was so loud that she briefly worried that the gods could hear it, while Leo flushed and tried desperately to backtrack. He seemed to come to some kind of mental decision, and turned to her with his usual confidence. "All that aside, even Bellona had time to celebrate after a victory-" He lowered his voice and leaned in, so that only she could hear "-and I think it's about time you celebrated for once. I'm bringing jelly beans, you know." he added, as if that would make a difference.

Reyna took a step back from him and straightened her Toga nonchalantly (a nervous habit of hers, not that anyone realized) and said "If I agree, will you leave me alone so I can actually get some work done?". The warm brown eyes of Leo Valdez lit up and his smile widened.

"Deal. See you later, then, _mi reina._"

And with that, Leo bounded off in the direction of the forges, fist pumping energetically when he was pretty sure Reyna couldn't see him. She did. The ghost of a smile tugged at the corners of her lips, and with that, the Ice Queen (now somehow less icy) called her dogs back to her and headed briskly into the heart of her camp.

* * *

The radio blared as Leo's hands flew over the worktable. He found himself sub-consciously singing away to the upbeat song, swaying his hips and tapping his toes. He didn't even notice when Jason knocked on the door and let himself in.

"Wow!" Jason exclaimed, noticing a pile of beautiful tea-light lanterns, constructed entirely of glass. They were square-shaped and etched with tiny star designs, designed to glow warmly when the wick inside was ignited. Leo whipped around in confusion and dropped the bundle in his hands- another lantern- where it clattered to the floor. Instead of shattering, however, it bounced slightly and rolled to a stop, completely intact. "How the-"

"Jason! Hey man, you scared me! What's up?" Leo asked, sheepishly rubbing his neck, grabbing the beautiful lantern off the floor and placing it beside him on the work table. He hoped Jason wouldn't ask about the lanterns, because they would be hard to explain, but, of course…

"Leo, what's with the lanterns?"

"What, these? I'm just-uh- practicing reinforcing glass! See?" Leo's hand burst into flames and he held the lantern gingerly in his flaming hand. When Leo stopped the flames, the lantern was completely unscathed. Unfortunately, Jason didn't buy it.

"Yeah, that's cool Leo, but you already knew how to reinforce glass- you did it to all the portholes on the _Argo II_, remember?" Jason recalled. _"Wait, he'd been listening to that? I thought everybody just zoned out whenever I went all mechanic on them"_ Leo thought, clearly surprised. Nevertheless, he cursed under his breath and Jason grinned.

"So, Fire Boy, what's with the lanterns?" he asked again, raising his eye brows at Leo suggestively. Leo fingered his hair self-consciously, avoiding Jason's eyes and muttered something completely inaudible.

"What was that?" Jason asked, smirking.

"I said none of your business!" Leo said loudly, with mock anger. Jason laughed.

"What's her name?" he asked, already fairly sure he knew what the answer was.

"What? N-nobody, I just felt like-" Leo tried, crossing his arms defiantly, but the growing flush in his cheeks didn't help.

"You know she could beat you to a pulp nine ways to Sunday."

"Dude, there's no girl-"

"Riiiiiight, because the 'Supersized McShizzle' has a thing for dainty lanterns with cute little stars." Jason pointed out. "Look, Leo, I know who this girl is."

Leo stared at him with a mask of confidence, but Jason recognized the uncertainty behind his eyes as he spoke. "Really? Try me."

Jason sighed. He was still denying it- although he had to give him credit for holding out this long. Normally he'd have given up and dropped it by now. "She's powerful, beautiful, and way out of your league" _"and hardworking, loyal, with a wicked sweet tooth"_ Leo mentally added, feeling that Jason's description- although highly accurate- didn't do her justice. They boys stared at each other, silently daring the other to speak until Jason huffed.

"Reyna." he said, staring into his friend's soul (or so it seemed). Leo's blush intensified so quickly Jason had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing. At the mention of her name, the top of his curly hair smoldered slightly before bursting into flames, and Jason knew he'd guessed correctly. This time he couldn't bite back his chuckle and Leo relaxed a little, swatting at the flames sheepishly.

"That obvious, huh?" he asked.

"Nah, only when you burst into flames" Jason teased, and Leo pouted.

"Shut up, Superman"

"But seriously dude, she'll like the lanterns. Trust me, I know her" Jason said, clapping Leo on the back.

"_Oh really? You know Reyna? And you somehow managed to let her go?" _ Leo thought bitterly, slightly jealous at his friend's relationship with the hard-to-approach Praetor. Jason seemed to sense this and tried to make Leo feel better as he made his way to the door.

"Don't worry, she's over me" he said unhelpfully. Leo huffed, but threw on a smile and made a few jokes as Jason shut the door behind him. As soon as the door shut, Leo's smile fell and he thought about the last heart-to-heart he'd had with Reyna- she'd definitely not been over him then. It had taken all of Leo's will-power to just sit quietly and listen. He had wanted desperately to make her shut up about Jason by pressing his lips against hers, but he valued his organs and besides…a girl like Reyna would never fall for a goof-ball Repair Boy, especially not a _Greek_ one at that_. "I can't be her Jason, but maybe I can make her feel a little less alone. Gods know I know what that's like._"

Leo thought about that, and his hand tightened around the bits of metal scrap he'd subconsciously taken out of his tool belt and tinkered into a heart shape. With his vigor restored, he picked up the lantern and admired it, before vowing to make tonight Reyna's best ever, and quickly got back to work.

* * *

Reyna groaned, rubbing her temples. She had just shut the door on Octavian for the third time that day, and if she had to listen to one more rant she was going to lose it. A fresh stack of letters sat on her desk imposingly, labeled 'complaints' by Octavian when he dumped them into her arms with a disdainful scowl. Many of them, she recognized, were of his own writing –signed anonymously, the coward!- scorning various Greek campers and the disintegration of the old ways. She was right in the middle of the first letter -a particularly nasty one depicting a 'fire-engulfed maniac unfit for the title of mortal, let alone demigod'- when there came a swift knock on the door that sounded suspiciously like Octavian. "Oh, he is _so_ going to get it" she growled. "OCTAVIAN!" She yelled. She flung the door open "GO AWA-". She stopped short. Octavian was nowhere to be seen. In fact, there was nobody in sight at all- a single envelope was sitting in front of the door. Reyna bent to pick it up, turning it in her hands when it sprouted wings and flew up into the air. When she tried to snatch it, it flew just out of reach. She probably looked ridiculous, but for the first time in a long time Reyna momentarily forgot about her image and chased the flying letter down the path, curiosity getting the better of her.

"Gottcha!" she said triumphantly, finally grasping it. Its wings retracted and she gingerly tore open the top of the envelope.

"_Meet tonight at our spot, one hour after sunset. P.S- I wasn't kidding about the jelly-beans. Bring a snack if you want._"

The penmanship was awful, and the paper was smudged with grease. Reyna felt her heart flutter as she rubbed her thumb over a grease spot affectionately and read it again. It was not signed, but she knew exactly who sent it. She felt the familiar swell of butterflies in her stomach, anticipation growing for the night ahead.

"Morning, Reyna!" Piper called cheerfully. Reyna mentally jumped out of her skin, and whipped around to face Piper.

"Thank you, but it is unfortunately well past the morning hours." Reyna replied automatically. Piper was used to Reyna's coldness, and didn't take it personally. Jason had told her enough about Reyna to know that she had every reason to act the way she did. Mostly. Then she spotted the note in Reyna's hand.

"Ah, more letters I see. Who is that one from?" she asked innocently.

Reyna was unfazed, though she hoped the daughter of Aphrodite couldn't hear her thumping heartbeat. "Hm? Oh, just a suggestion letter from one of my campers. A child of Hephaestus, by the look of it."

Piper bit back a smile. "Ah." Then she dug something out of her pocket- a small silver tube. It sparkled in the afternoon sun, catching Reyna's eye. She was surprised when Piper held it out for her.

"What is it?" Reyna asked, eyeing it suspiciously, as if she expected it to morph into a weapon of some kind- a complelty rational suspicion, given the wide variety of lip-stick daggers and mascara wands that shot magical nets she'd seen the Venus children use. Piper seemed to recognize this and uncapped it.

"Despite what it looks like, this actually _is_ lipstick" she said. "On of your campers gave it to me for helping them work things out with their boyfriend. It's enchanted to fit whatever colour best suits your complexion or something silly like that- I have no need for it. It's not much, but do you want it?" she said casually, recapping it and holding it out for Reyna again.

"I do not concern myself with vanity. I do not wear makeup." Reyna replied, eyeing the tube as if it brought back bad memories. Piper didn't looked offended (she wasn't one for vanity herself), but she tossed the lipstick tube to Reyna anyway.

"Whatever, just take it. It'll keep your lips from cracking when the cold comes- Jason told me how much you hate that." She said. Reyna's eyes hardened.

"If you insist. Thank you." she said flatly. She slipped the lipstick into her pocket and was about to leave when Piper caught her shoulder.

"Hey, I'm sorry. " she said earnestly, and Reyna's eyes softened just a little. "But you know who will totally dig that lipstick?" Reyna was about to answer, but Piper beat her to it, with a knowing grin. "Leo."

"I bed your pardon?"

"Leo. You know, the guy who wrote that letter?"

"How did you-?"

"Lucky guess." Piper replied, still grinning. Then she shrugged innocently. "Besides, there's only one son of _Hephaestus_ who would be writing to you. If you'd have said Vulcan I never would have known!" she said with a wink. It took only seconds for Reyna to realize her previous mistake- she face palmed immediately and Piper laughed. "Don't worry, Reyna. I won't tell anyone." She said quietly, so nobody would over-hear.

"There is nothing to tell. He has merely sent me this letter to confirm the scheduling of our appointment, during which he will examine my automatons." Reyna said briskly, adjusting her toga again. Piper sighed.

"Reyna, we are allies now. You're allowed to have friends, no matter what anyone- that jerk Octavian included- might tell you. Leo's been rejected his whole life- it would mean a lot to him if you weren't afraid to acknowledge him" Piper said honestly, sadness creeping into her voice. Reyna found herself longing to believe in Piper's words, even though she used no charmspeak. There had been days where Reyna had wanted nothing more than to throw down whatever she was doing and run off with somebody -namely Leo- for an escape. Since the first time he'd found her crying in the woods, they'd trusted each other more than they'd ever trusted anyone else. He was one of the few people who had seen her cry, and the only one who didn't end up in the infirmary for it. Their 'forbidden friendship' thrilled the part of her heart that hadn't frozen over, and annoying as it was, she couldn't hide anything from him. After each secret meeting- hot chocolates in the café before dawn, sneaking into the forges on her lunch break, short late-night excursions into the forest to talk- her cold exterior melted a little more, and she found herself impatiently awaiting the next time they could slip away unnoticed.

"Noted. Thank you, Piper, but I really must be going." Reyna said, with her normal business-voice.

With a curt nod, she left Piper and headed back to her office, her thoughts still on the clumsy Repair Boy. "_I just can't afford to bring our friendship into the public eye."_ She thought, remembering the malicious whispers of her fellow Roman campers from that morning.

Upon reaching the doorstep, another stack of letters sat with a note on top, scrawled in narrow handwriting. "_Praetor: Since you seem to be "busy", I've taken the liberty of compiling the rest of the mail. Wouldn't want you falling behind on your duties, now would we? Sincerely, Octavian_". Reyna's mind flashed to the overflowing stacks sitting on her desk, filled with angry letters about Leo. Normally, she wouldn't let Octavian distract her from her duties- now, she wasn't going to let him distract her from _anything_. "_This_" Reyna thought harshly, scooping up the stack of letters "_Is the absolute last straw._"

The stack of papers made a satisfying _crash_ as they cascaded into the recycle bin. Two similar crashes followed. Reyna shut the door to the office and headed briskly to the nearest marble pedestal.

"Terminus" she said, and the God appeared on the pedestal as a bust, haughty and glancing around as if he expected an invasion force. "Terminus, my lord, please tell the Lares that I am giving them a night off. After supper tonight they are free to do as they please- Octavian has kindly volunteered himself for dish duty." Reyna announced. Terminus looked very surprised, but did not question the Praetor's orders.

"Of course, Praetor, but if the Lares get out of hand…"

"I will trust you to keep them in their place." Reyna assured, fighting the urge to roll her eyes.

"Excellent. Now if you'll excuse me-" the god never finished his sentence before poofing away, probably to scold a camper for running after a stray discus. He was the god of boundaries, after all.

"_Octavian has no right to dictate who I make allies with. I see him fraternizing with Rachel Elizabeth Dare on a regular basis._" Reyna thought angrily. Then a fresh wave of doubt passed over her. "_But…my position as Praetor earns me a lot of unwanted attention in matters like this. I would be picking the battles and it would be Leo who would be forced to fight. No…I can't open him up to that kind of harassment. Not yet."_ . Still, Piper's words rang in her mind, whispering the truth that Reyna herself understood all too well. She stuck her hand in her pocket and pulled out the silvery lipstick. Her grip tightened around the tube. "_Maybe I can't acknowledge Leo in public just yet, but I can make him feel more appreciated when we are together._" She vowed. Slipping the tube back into her pocket, Reyna held her head high. With new-found fire burning inside her, she made her way through the Roman camp- she needed to have a moment's word with a certain Augur who had so generously "volunteered" for dish duty.

* * *

The Lares were swishing around giddily, dishing out plates like it was the most fun they could be having in the world. Leo's curly hair swished wildly as a particularly punch-drunk ghost whizzed by him at what could have easily have been light speed. "Hey, what's with the Lares?" he asked Dakota, one of the few Roman campers he had a legitimate friendship with (hey, anyone who likes Kool-Aid that much _has_ to be awesome, right?).

"Dude, like whatever you do, don't make Reyna mad right now. Octavian did something to upset her like pulling her away from her work or something? BAM! Suddenly he's informed that he's been assigned dish duty for the _whole camp_. I know right? We have like…a lot of campers, like 25 at least, who use a couple plates each…so that's like…" Dakota's face scrunched up with effort. "…that's like, at least 25 plates." He decided. Leo found more than a few flaws with that mathematical conclusion, but he got the point.

_"_Ouch. How is Octavian taking it?" Leo smirked- Octavian had to be one of his least favorite life forms- it was nice to see him getting what was coming to him once and a while. Octavian was very low on Leo's "least favorite life forms" list- a list that included monsters, giants, and Shrimpzilla. At least he could set those guys on fire when they made him angry- Octavian, unfortunately, was protected by the Greek/Roman truce. And although Leo was pretty sure he could take him in a fight, he didn't like his chances against Reyna- especially since she seriously dulled his battle senses.

"I haven't seen him this worked up since…I can't even remember. But Leo, my man, seriously- do _not _do anything to Reyna right now. You'll be a dead man walking!" Slurred Dakota, as he teetered off, narrowly missing three light-speed Lares before he managed to get to his table.

Leo spotted Reyna sitting at a distant table, picking at an unnaturally healthy plate of green something-or-other, with that same unreadable expression plastered over her face like a mask. Leo sat down by himself, further away, and subconsciously "ordered" a sticky plate of boneless wings (extra hot buffalo), guacamole, and a tall glass of Mountain Dew. He didn't even flinch when the plate appeared in front of him- he was still staring at Reyna. It wasn't until she looked up at him abruptly that he noticed his food in front of him- he jumped as their eyes met, knocking over the soda with a crash. "_Oh, _smooth_ Leo. Really smooth._" He chided himself, pulling paper towels out of his tool belt to mop up the spill, aware of the other camper's chuckles. He snuck a glance up at Reyna- she was staring down at her food. However, Leo's heart did a little flip when he noticed she was grinning into her Swiss chard.

After he finished his meal (with no more catastrophes, by some miracle of the Gods) , Leo grabbed some more food to go- a box of cookie-dough toaster strudel, a bag of fluffy white marshmallows, and an extra-large bag of assorted Jelly Beans.

* * *

The laid-back Latin beat wafted through the room as Reyna busily scuttled about inside it, muttering to herself. The music had been an attempt to calm her nerves, but the music reminded her too much of Leo –and their impending rendezvous- to make her more calm. It might have, in fact, been making her even more nervous. "_Get ahold of yourself, Reyna._" She told herself, tugging at her purple toga. "Ok. Checklist." She said aloud. Making things into an orderly task list always helped her sort things out in her mind. "Blanket-check." She noted, patting the purple-striped blanket. "Snacks- check" she added, reviewing the small assortment of table grapes and home-made yogurt dip (she figured that Leo missed having somebody cook for him- sometimes she did, too). Then she pulled a tube of lipstick out of her pocket. "Lipstick- check" she said, sounding far less confident than she thought she would have. She help up a small looking glass, checking to make sure that it hadn't smudged- not that you'd be able to tell. The lipstick had glided on almost the exact colour as her natural lips, with a hint of gloss but no sparkle. She doubted Leo would even notice. "_Not that it matters if he notices or not. I was just curious to see what colour it would be."_ Reyna thought, ignoring the subtle flush in her cheeks and putting down the mirror.

She hadn't been this worked up about a meeting since…Reyna winced. Her mind flashed back to the day that the _Argo II_ was to land at the Roman camp, carrying Jason. He had been her first and only love. Well… that's not entirely true. He was never "hers". She wanted to hate Piper, but she just couldn't make herself do it- it wasn't her fault. Love is a war zone, and as much as she hated to admit it, Piper had won. It was still the only battlefield that Reyna had never left victorious from. She had decided that day, that it was better to not fight in a war you could never win- it was far wiser to use your resources in other battles, cut your losses, switch to defense. The last of her heart froze, and she lost the ability to love. "_So I became the Ice Queen, as they call me. But at least a queen has power- strength, something to fight for. A kingdom to run. People who count on her. It would be selfish of me to ask for more than that. And greed is met with swift punishment. _" She thought darkly.

Shaking herself out of the depressing thought, Reyna bundled up her things and took one last look at her reflection, before locking the door to her quarters and slipping away into the dark forest.

Leo sat back and admired his handiwork. There was a gingham blanket spread out on the ground underneath their tree- the same one he had found Reyna crying under so many nights ago (luckily they had created happier memories under this tree since then- like the time when Leo had first discovered Reyna's secret obsession with jelly beans after pulling them out of his tool belt by pure chance). He had a small picnic basket filled with the terribly unhealthy snacks he'd chosen earlier, and he'd even managed to stay grease-free after his shower (not an easy task for a nervous demigod- especially not Leo, who Annabeth once described as "seriously ADHD"). Perhaps the most impressive thing, however, was the army of glass lanterns, hung from the trees like firefly jars so that they illuminated the clearing with a soft, endearing glow. There were 6 in all, flickering warmly and projecting star shapes onto any close surface, like the glittering of a cosmic disco-ball.

At that moment Leo heard muffled footsteps, and he stood to meet Reyna as she stepped into the clearing.

Reyna's jaw dropped as she gazed at the scene before her- the modest lanterns cast a warm glow over the picnic spread, bathing everything in a light that felt like home- warm, inviting…Reyna inhaled sharply when her eyes met Leo's. He was clean, she noticed, but it was his expression that made her breathless. He somehow crammed all of his feelings into one expression- happy to see her, nervous about what she'd think of the lanterns, proud of the effort he'd put into the details, and a flicker of something else that she didn't recognize. She turned her attention back to the lanterns self-consciously, while Leo admired her in the soft lighting. "I don't even know what to say" she murmured, and Leo laughed- she could almost hear the tension leaving him as he exhaled.

"I have that effect on people" he said with his usual grin. "After you, _Praetor_" he gestured to the blanket. She rolled her eyes as she sat down, but she smiled a little in spite of herself. Leo plopped down beside her and gave her the once-over before frowning slightly. "Hmm, there's just one thing that needs to be done." He said. Reyna stared at him warily. "Imagine yourself as the tough-as-nails Praetor of New Rome, strong and powerful, with people looking to you for leadership" he instructed. Reyna didn't understand what he was doing- she didn't notice herself stiffening up and adjusting her posture. "Now think of all the responsibility that comes with that, the loneliness, the hidden pain that you carry with that title." Leo added, staring at her intently. Reyna adjusted her toga uncomfortably- she wasn't used to being examined so closely.

"_What on earth is he doing?_" she thought.

"Awesome. Now forget about all that for a little while, and throw your toga over there." Leo said suddenly, pointing. Reyna remembered the first time she'd taken off her uniform- that was the night that Leo had found her. He had said it was nice to see what she really looked like under all the fabric. "Rey, I know it's like a security blanket, but you don't need security when there's nothing out here that's going to hurt you, right?" he said gently. Reyna signed, and started to remove the heavy purple drapes, chest plate, and gold-tone pauldrons. "No, no folding, just chuck it over there" Leo said as she started to fold it neatly.

"Leo!" she complained, but he laughed; she decided to let him have this one, and chucked the rest of her toga into a messy pile. "I'm going to be cold now" She teased. Even though it was late summer, she wore long dark jeans, and a long-sleeve purple knit.

"Don't worry, I won't let that happen. I just happened to be the hottest guy around, you know." Leo said, flexing a flaming bicep. Reyna couldn't stop herself from laughing, and Leo's grin widened. He watched her lips, stretched into a beautiful smile, and raised his eyebrows suddenly.

"Rey, are you wearing _lipstick_?" he asked incredulously.

"I didn't think you'd notice!" Reyna gasped, surprised. Leo might have blushed, but because of the low light Reyna couldn't be sure.

"It's pretty. But you know, I bet you could even pull off a bolder colour, if you wanted to." Leo suggested casually. Reyna smiled to herself, blushing modestly. "Hmm, let's bust out the snacks, shall we?" Leo piped up, hoisting the picnic basket into his lap.

"We just ate a few hours ago!" Reyna laughed, but Leo started to unpack his snacks, grinning at her defiantly. The picnic basket produced a large white bowl, into which Leo poured the entire bag of jelly beans. That got Reyna's attention. "Hey, are those the good kind?" she asked, crawling closer to Leo and the over-flowing bowl.

"There's a bad kind?" Leo asked, sounding genuinely confused.

"Nope. But these are the best." Reyna said, popping a pure black one into her mouth happily.

"Really, out of all those good flavours you go for black licorice? Really?" Leo teased, popping a colourful handful into his mouth all at once.

"I love black licorice!" Reyna cried, tossing a deep brown one at him playfully. He popped it into his mouth, and promptly spit it back out.

"Gah! Chocolate liqueur!"

"Who doesn't like chocolate?" Reyna laughed.

"I don't know what that is, but it is definitely NOT chocolate!"

The pair of them spent quite a while that way, laughing and enjoying the ease at which they could talk to each other. Soon, the bowl of jelly beans was just over half-full, and Reyna was laying on her back, staring into the treetops as Leo cooked a marshmallow to perfection in the palm of his hand.

"Toaster strudel s'more?" Leo offered- Reyna sat up and took a bite right out of the one in Leo's hand.

"fankvoo" She said through a mouthful of s'more. She smiled as the sound of Leo's contagious laughter filled the clearing, making the butterflies in her stomach flutter excitedly for the 100th time that night. She was vaguely aware of Leo packing up the snacks (leaving the jelly beans, which they were both still munching on).

"Hey, Rey-Rey?" Leo asked quietly. Reyna sat up and looked at him- without his mask of confidence and goofiness, he looked more vulnerable…

"Yeah, Leo?" Reyna replied, watching him curiously. He fidgeted uncomfortably. He normally kept his fingers moving, but this was different. "_He's listened to me enough times- I need to be there for him right now, no matter what is bothering him._" Reyna thought.

"I was fooling around in the forges today, and I ended up making this…" Leo reached into the picnic basket and pulled out another lantern, smaller than the others, but far more intricate. The stars on it sparkled like real stars rather than the five-pointed ones on the other lanturns, and when it hit the light a certain way, there were faint lines connecting some of the stars into two constellations. Leo held it up for Reyna to see. "This is the lion constellation -_Leo_- and this one is _Canes Venatici, _the pair of hunting greyhounds_. _Like Aurum and Argentium! Um…here. I want you to have it." He said awkwardly, placing it gingerly into Reyna's hands. He ignited the top of his finger and touched the string- it caught easily, and the flickering flame lit up the lantern with a warm light. The fire danced in his warm eyes as they met Reyna's. "That should stay lit for quite a long time, but if it goes out, well, you know who to call…" he said, rubbing the back of his neck, hoping to distract from his red cheeks and ears.

"Leo…it's perfect" she exhaled, turning it in her hands. Piper's words rang in her mind. She needed to make Leo feel appreciated, but how? She had no gift for him…

Leo was avoiding her gaze by turning his head sideways. "_He looks cute when he's flustered_" Reyna mused. Her heart was thumping so loudly she was expecting him to hear it and stare at her funny, but in that moment, her mind went blank and her body acted on its own. Her hands were shaking as she leaned closer to him. She was going to kiss him on the cheek, but he turned his head to face her. Reyna slowed, but didn't stop as she closed her eyes and leaned in closer. Leo shivered as Reyna's hand found his cheek. They were so close, he could feel the subtle shaking of her hand, her hot breath inches from his face. Leo felt his own eye close. Finally, Reyna's soft lips pressed into his, and Leo's mind was a roman candle. Nothing else mattered as he responded desperately, his own hands snaking around her waist. A few more seconds left Reyna on her back with her hands in Leo's hair, pausing only for short breath as the kiss went deeper. She could feel Leo heating up, his face deeply flushed. She giggled softly and Leo opened his eyes, paralyzing her with the love behind them. They were both breathing deeply, and Leo's hair was smoldering. "You really are the hottest guy around" Reyna teased, kissing his cheek affectionately. "I should have made you a lantern _ages_ ago" he replied, grinning at her. He layed down beside her, wrapping and arm around her so she wouldn't get cold. To his surprise, Reyna snuggled herself closer to him.

"I'm sorry we can't do this in public" she murmured.

"What, make out?" Leo joked.

"No!" Reyna cried, giving Leo a good smack, flushing. He laughed and tightened his grip around her. "No…being together. But, it's just so hard…people don't trust you, and with my role as Praetor-"

"Rey. It's ok. I understand…The whole Roman/Greek thing is still up in the air for some people. Even if we were just friends, we'd get serious smack for it. That's my fault…stupid eidolon." Leo inturputed. "Besides" he said, his voice softening. "I kinda like sneaking out to meet you. Like you're my special secret…nobody else knows, so nobody else can have you."

"You really…want me?" Reyna asked, slowly realizing that they had just kissed for a long time, and that she liked it.

Leo looked at her as if she was crazy. "Since…always, actually. I don't suppose you want me too?" he asked, suddenly unsure.

Reyna thought about that for a few seconds, before she stopped herself. _"No. this is not about deciding, thinking, or calculating…this is about feeling_." She gazed up at his amazing brown eyes and smiled. "It took me long enough to realize it, but, yes. I do believe I want you." She said, flushing at the foreign words coming out of her mouth. "Only you".

Leo's body heated up again at her words. He had the biggest grin she had ever seen plastered across his face.

They laid like that, until Leo noticed Reyna had drifted to sleep in his arms. He reached over to Reyna's blanket and draped it over her carefully. Then he laid back down, gazing peacefully at the stars. "You probably saw this coming all along, didn't you Mom?" he asked the sky, still cradling Reyna in his arms. Leo wanted to memorize every detail of that moment. He nuzzled his face into Reyna's now-loose hair as it fell poetically around her face. It smelled like vanilla and nutmeg. His eyelids growing heavy, Leo snuggled in close to Reyna, drinking in her sweet scent and listening to the quiet puff of her breathing. Before he could even think about it, Leo drifted off to sleep, dreaming of jellybeans, lanterns, and the purple-clad Praetor of New Rome.

* * *

Reyna's eyes fluttered in the light of the sunrise. It took her a moment to remember where she was. She was covered in her purple blanket, intertwined with Leo Valdez, as he too stirred from his slumber. He still had one arm around her, effectively warming her to a comfortable temperature, even in the crisp morning air. "Morning, _mi reina_" he murmured, smiling at her sheepishly. He sat up slightly, and she followed, leaning against his chest, still not fully awake. She was vaguely aware of his hands in her hair, braiding it carefully, the way he had seen her do a handful of times before. "Your dip was really good, by the way. I was going to mention that last night, but I had, um, other things on my mind." Leo said, blushing.

Reyna's lips tingled at the memory of their kiss. Leo racked his brain, trying to remember the other thing he was going to tell her, but his thoughts were interrupted when Reyna suddenly jumped up in a panic, fully awake. "Oh gods!" she cried. "People will be expecting me down there already- how long has the sun been up?" she worried, rushing to put on her toga, which was hopelessly wrinkled.

"It's still rising. You'll be fine if you go now. Seriously, just go. I'll clean up." Leo said calmly. Somewhere in the back of her mind Reyna realized that Leo predicted this would happen, and had braided her hair for her and everything…she'd have to thank him later. "Thanks. I'm sorry! I'll come find you at lunch ok?" she called over her shoulder as Leo sat and watched her go, looking overall content. He popped the last handful of jellybeans into his mouth pensively, before starting to clear away all the evidence of their meeting with a dazed look on his face and a smile that stretched right to his ears.

* * *

"Ah, Jason. Good morning." Reyna said formally, nodding to him they passed at the edge of camp. Hopefully he wouldn't ask what she had been doing in the forest. He didn't seem fazed by her sudden appearance, but what did catch him off guard was the deep plum colour that was applied to her lips, although it looked smudgy and partly rubbed-off. "I didn't know you wore lipstick, Reyna." He mused, looking at her with a kind of coy smile that usually meant trouble. Reyna froze- how could he possibly have noticed? It should be pretty much smeared off by now (especially after…yes, it should _definitely_ be gone), and it wasn't even a dark colour to start with. Unless… "Oh Gods" she muttered. Jason looked at her expectantly. Reyna turned to him coolly. "Yes, Piper gave it to me. I decided to wear it as a sign of peace between the two camps, but it is not something I would otherwise trouble myself with. Now if you'll excuse me…" Reyna left before Jason had a chance to say anything (and he was definitely going to, judging by the confused look on his face). "I need to find a mirror…" she thought desperately. She headed to the direction of the bath houses, since they would be abandoned this early in the morning...

_Meanwhile… _

Leo had packed everything up into his picnic basket, and had just dropped it off in his visitor's dorm when he bumped into Percy. "Hey, Perce, you're up early!" he joked, grinning at him. He was staring at Leo with a look of pure mischief –what was _that_ about?- but Leo chose to ignore it; He started to make his way to the tables for some breakfast when Percy stepped in front of him.

"Meeting Annabeth for hot chocolates at that café in a few minutes." Percy said quickly, as if that were not the point of the conversation at all. He started at Leo intently, as if waiting for Leo to say something. When Leo stared back in confusion, Percy gave an over-exaggerated sigh. "Well come on, you gotta tell me about it now!" he cried.

"Tell you about what?" Leo asked nervously, unsure what Percy could possibly be talking about. There was no way he could have known about his night with Reyna, was there?

"You know _exactly_ what I mean, you sly dog! Seriously! Tell me _who_ did the honors at least." Percy said, clapping Leo on the back.

"Uh…" Leo stuttered, flushing considerably. Percy laughed, and pulled Riptide-as-a-pen out of his pocket and clicked it.

"Here, let me help you remember." Percy said, holding up the blade. Leo was completely baffled, backing away from the sword -had Percy gone insane?- but he soon realized Percy hadn't intended to use the sword as a weapon. Instead, its shiny surface reflected Leo's face.

Leo gasped and cursed loudly in Spanish, Greek and English in one garbled string. Percy wqas doubled over with laughter.

"Oh, so now you remember" he said between giggles. Leo's lips were smudged with fiery red lipstick, as well as a few lip prints on his cheek and neck. Leo blushed so brightly that the lip marks were camouflaged almost perfectly.

"Oh Gods, listen man, I promise I'll tell you later if you swear right now that _nobody_ is going to know about this. I need to go wash this off…" Leo said, grasping Percy's shoulders and shaking him for emphasis.

"I'm holding you to that!" Percy called as Leo dashed off to the bath house. He was sure they'd be all but empty this time of morning, so he wasn't expecting anyone to be around when he came sprinting up to them. Granted, he should have expected the unexpected, but that didn't stop him from yelping when he smacked headlong into Reyna behind the tall hedged surrounding the bathhouses.

The two of them stopped and stared at each other with wide eyes. Reyna was the first to break the silence. "Oh, um, I forgot to mention that the lipstick is enchanted to match your complexion…?" she said flatly, still in shock. "And I was going to mention that I liked your new bold lip colour- it was like that after we…you know…I thought it was heat-activated or something." Leo added, fingering his curls nervously.

They stared at each other for another second, but then erupted with side-splitting laughter. When they had composed themselves, Reyna looked at Leo and smiled. "My lipstick looks good on you." She said with a wink. Leo's breath caught –did she just make a flirty joke at me?- and he glanced around quickly before kissing her on the lips. He turned and headed towards the men's showers while Reyna escaped into her own bath house and sighed deeply. "_That boy makes it really, really hard to be an Ice Queen._" Reyna shook herself- she had to be Praetor Reyna now- no more giggling, flushing, jelly-bean addicted Reyna. Well…at least not until lunch.

~Fin


End file.
